LITMIR.BIZ

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enjoy life anymore, the reasons that he didn’t trust in faith, or love, or for that matter, God, anymore.

      “I want you back at church tomorrow, Daddy,” she said. “It’d mean a lot to me, and I think it’d do a world of good for you, too.” She waited, and when he didn’t speak, she whispered, “Say yes, Daddy. Please.”

      He looked at her, but remained silent.

      “Okay then, say maybe.”

      He smiled. “Maybe.”

      The bell on the door sounded, and Mr. Feazell called out a greeting to the incoming customers. “Well, hello, Dr. Graham. How are all of you doing today?” The store owner proceeded to announce that his new puppets had arrived that morning, and then Hannah heard him direct them to the back of the store, where he’d set up a small stage for children to practice with the marionettes. Mr. Feazell had been eager to get every child’s opinion on the new setup.

      Her pulse skittered. She’d been looking forward to this all day and wanted her father to realize that Autumn and Matt Graham were special. “Daddy, there’s a little girl I’m trying to help,” she whispered, hoping her voice wouldn’t carry far beyond the curtain barrier between the display and the store. “I just heard her arrive, and I’d like for you to meet her and her father. Her name is Autumn, and her father is Matt Graham, the new doctor in town.” She paused, not wanting to make her father uncomfortable but wanting him to understand how important this was and how much she wanted to help Autumn. “Daddy, she lost her mother to breast cancer two years ago.”

      “How old is she?” he asked, keeping his deep voice low as well, undoubtedly realizing that Hannah didn’t want this conversation overheard by the newcomers to the toy store.

      “I believe she’s five or six. She’s in school, probably kindergarten or first grade. Anyway, her father brought her in yesterday, and she spoke to me, connected with me.” Hannah watched him nod as though he totally understood, but she knew he couldn’t until she told him the rest. “And then he told me that she hadn’t spoken more than a word or two at a time since her mother died.”

      Bo Taylor frowned. “That’s terrible.”

      “But she did yesterday, for me. She talked to me, smiled for me. I—” Hannah tried to form the right words to explain it “—I felt a connection between me and that little girl, Daddy. She needs someone who understands what she is going through. She needs me to help her cope with losing her mom.” Hannah leaned forward so she could peek through the tiny crack in the display area’s curtain and saw that Matt, Autumn and an older woman were all still listening to Mr. Feazell describe the elaborate puppet area. When she was certain they couldn’t hear their conversation, she dropped the curtain back in place.

      “Five or six,” her father said. “And already lost her mom.” He sighed wearily.

      “She said that I’m like her mommy. I don’t know if it’s because she saw my breast cancer pin, or maybe because my hair is shorter, or what. But because she sees me as someone ‘like her mommy,’ she’s willing to open up to me. Daddy, it touched my heart so much, I can’t even explain it. I’ve been thinking about her all day.” Hannah didn’t add that she’d also been thinking about Matt Graham all day. Or the fact that he fell into the same category as her father, losing a wife to breast cancer and being left to raise a child, even if Matt only had one to raise and her father had been left with two.

      However, looking at her father’s face now, Hannah suspected that her dad also put the similarities together and could literally feel the little girl’s pain … and, of course, Matt Graham’s pain.

      “Daddy, I really think I can help her. I think I’m meant to.”

      He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Bless her little heart,” he whispered. “Bless her precious little heart.”

      “I don’t know why she picked me to talk to, but I prayed to God to let me help her, and I think He is letting me do that.” She noticed her father’s face alter a fraction when she mentioned her prayer, but he didn’t say anything negative. “She’s going to start coming here every day to help me with the display.”

      “I’m glad you’re able to help her, princess,” he finally said. “I just wish … I wish that no child had to go through that, and I wish you and your sister would have had someone to help you cope with everything back then. The way you’re helping this little girl.”

      Hannah edged toward her father and took his hands in hers. It didn’t take but a moment to realize his were trembling. “Daddy, we did have someone to help. We had God, and we had you. And we made it through.”

      Mr. Feazell’s voice grew louder as he directed the Grahams back to the front of the store. “Well, I think Hannah’s been working on a section of the town square today that you should all enjoy, the Sweet Stop. It’s the candy shop straight across the square, you know.”

      Hannah gave her father a smile, released his hands then turned in time to see Mr. Feazell slide the curtain open and the trio of customers come into view. The woman with them appeared to be in her late forties and was very pretty, petite with short, wavy auburn hair. She tenderly patted Autumn’s shoulder as they neared.

      Autumn stood between her father and the woman, but she stepped in front of them as soon as she saw Hannah. “We came back,” she said, her smile stretching across her face and her dark brown eyes growing wide with excitement. She had her hair pulled up in a high ponytail with a navy bow. A waterfall of long brown curls trailed past her shoulders, and she wore a plaid navy-and-green jumper over a white shirt. Even her Mary Jane shoes were navy leather, cute over white kneesocks.

      She was absolutely adorable, and Hannah fought the urge to reach out, pull her into her arms and simply hold her, to let her know that everything would be okay again. She didn’t want to scare her away, but she truly wanted Autumn to know how much she cared. Eventually they would work their way to a hug greeting. Hannah hoped so, anyway.

      “Hello, Hannah,” Matt said. “I had a patient to see this morning, or we’d have been here earlier. Still okay for us to help you out today? I think Autumn’s been looking forward to it ever since we left yesterday.”

      “Of course it’s still okay, and I’ve been looking forward to it too,” Hannah said, smiling at Autumn.

      “This is my mother-in-law, Maura,” Matt continued, indicating the woman beside him.

      “Nice to meet you,” Hannah said.

      “Wonderful to meet you,” Maura replied. “Really wonderful. Matt told me about yesterday, and well, I wanted to come too. I hope that’s okay.”

      “It’s fine,” Hannah said. She touched her dad’s hand. “This is my father, Bo Taylor.”

      Maura and Matt exchanged greetings with Hannah’s father, while Autumn’s attention zeroed in on the dollhouse that Hannah had pulled out from the remainder of the display.

      “Is that the candy store?” she asked, pointing to the dollhouse in progress.

      “It sure is.”

      Maura’s hand moved to her mouth and she shook her head in apparent awe at Autumn’s communication with Hannah.

      “That’s GiGi,” Autumn said, pointing to Maura.

      And at her granddaughter’s words, Maura’s eyes trickled silent tears. “She couldn’t say grandma when she started talking,” Maura explained, “and I became GiGi.” She smiled warmly toward Autumn. “But I haven’t heard her say it in a long time.” Her voice broke with that declaration, but Autumn didn’t notice, still smiling at Hannah.

      Hannah wasn’t sure what to say in response to Maura’s statement, so she instead spoke to Autumn. “I put that awning on a couple of minutes ago.” She pointed to the newest addition to the structure. “Do you like it?”

      Autumn followed Hannah’s finger and grinned. “Yes.” Then she

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